


In Every Job That Must Be Done, There Is An Element of Fun

by slashmania



Series: 50 Thousand Words (from October to December!) [29]
Category: Inception (2010), Mary Poppins (1964)
Genre: Arthur teaches Eames the words to "Spoonful of Sugar", Humming, Kissing, M/M, Trust, Words, more Arthur Poppins!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:22:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22018585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashmania/pseuds/slashmania
Summary: So despite not liking to sing around others, Arthur made a choice to start softly singing the words to the tune Eames had been humming at roughly the place the forger left off.
Relationships: Arthur/Eames (Inception)
Series: 50 Thousand Words (from October to December!) [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1503791
Comments: 6
Kudos: 50





	In Every Job That Must Be Done, There Is An Element of Fun

**Author's Note:**

> Day 29: Words  
> 708 words
> 
> I completely redid this one so it could work for the _Practically Perfect_ series where Arthur is the grandson of Mary Poppins!

Arthur liked singing his grandmother’s songs but didn’t usually do it in front of anyone.

And yet he heard Eames humming one of them while he was working on something for a topside forgery that was needed for their current job.

When Arthur suddenly sat up his head popped up from behind his laptop screen so quickly that he was sure the view from the other side made him look like some kind of shocked technology-loving groundhog.

“What was that?”

“If you raise your eyebrows any further they’re going to disappear into your hairline,” Eames commented after only looking up at Arthur once and then returning to his work on a phony set of documents. “And you know how sad that would make me, love. You’ve got such expressive eyebrows.”

“What was that?” Arthur asked again, still feeling a little shocked.

“I was humming while I was busy working, Arthur. Common enough thing to do while you’re busy, isn’t it? Or it’s a common enough thing to do if you don’t know the words to a song you’ve heard your boyfriend hum or has sung under his breath once or twice.”

Arthur blinked.

Since when had he done that in front of Eames? Ever?

Then it came back to him. He’d done it when he was cleaning up the hotel room when they’d first become a team. How many other times had he slipped up and started singing or humming when he thought Eames couldn’t hear?

It was just so easy to be himself around Eames and not try to hide the Poppins stuff that used to make him feel weird.

Eames looked up again and noticed Arthur’s conflicted expression. Eames smiled for him.

“We could talk about it now while we’re working or later on when we have free time. It’s your choice, love.”

Arthur nodded and went back to work, knowing that Eames had given him this out so they could finish this and save the discussion about humming for later. It really wasn’t as concerning as Arthur had first thought it was, once he thought about it. If anything he had a new concern that could be easily resolved when they weren’t busy.

But Arthur noticed that Eames hadn’t continued humming when they went back to work, the mood in the room deflating without the cheerful noise.

So despite not liking to sing around others, Arthur made a choice to start softly singing the words to the tune Eames had been humming at roughly the place the forger left off.

“A robin feathering his nest has very little time to rest while gathering his bits of twine and twig,” Arthur sang while he typed at his laptop, trying to type at a pace that wouldn’t add an annoying clickety clack that conflicted with the song.

Arthur could see Eames from his position at the laptop; the man had slowed his work on the documents in order to listen to Arthur sing to him.

“Though quite intent in his pursuit,” Arthur continued, “he has a merry tune to toot. He knows a song will move the job along—for a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down—” 

And then Eames was abandoning his work and moving to Arthur’s desk in the warehouse to be close enough to lean over Arthur’s desk. Arthur stopped singing and closed his laptop.

“Hello,” Arthur said. “Did you want to talk right now instead of later?”

“I’m going to kiss you silly,” Eames said.

“I’m okay with that happening right now,” Arthur replied.

“I’m serious.”

“I don’t doubt you.”

Eames leaned in closer, almost close enough to press his lips against Arthur’s, but he hadn’t done it yet.

“You’re going to let me learn the words to your grandmother’s songs? Really, love?”

“Call it a late Christmas gift, Eames. It shouldn’t have surprised me to hear you humming that one while working since it’s all about getting stuff done. Sorry.”

Eames smiled widely. “You don’t have to apologize, love.”

And then there was kissing. Lots of kissing.

It was followed by working on the stuff for their latest job while discussing how later on Arthur was going to teach him the words to that song from beginning to end.


End file.
